The term ISO (International Standards Organization) is a setting on a digital camera that determines how sensitive the camera's sensor will be to light. Note: This scale is a combination of American standards (ASA) and German standards (DIN); ISO was established in 1974.

Note: Digital cameras did away with ISO 50. But, you can still get 35mm film in ISO 50. This film will be daylight balanced only as it requires so much light to properly expose. This type of film can really only be used in bright sun shooting.

ISO does not have a specific creative effect; it is intended to allow the photographer to change the Aperture and Shutter Speed to get the shot the Photographer desires.

This image to the left is not a thing. This was a joke.

ISO Explained

A digital image is made up of pixels

Every pixel has a digital sensor

The single sensors receive light of all colors;

It records color based on Red/Green/Blue

The sensor scales up the colors to make it brighter

When a less expensive camera the sensor is not able to scale up the colors without losing quality.

Color in the digital world is calculated based on a ratio between RED, GREEN and BLUE.

Camera cables for years compressed all the color information (RGB) and luminance info into one Composite (Yellow) Cable.

Now though, if you look at the back of your tv, you'll likely see a Component Input for Red, Green, and Blue cables, which separates the color information out. This allows for an HD signal.

CMYK - Print

RGB - Digital

Dynamic Range is a measure of how the camera registers and records the brightest whites and the blackest blacks as they appear in the same frame. Many cameras today will only register certain tones before going to detail-less white and black.

To help students use this rig quickly and effectively, I created this cheat sheet card. This cards are attached to each of the cameras and help students quickly recall how to change shutter speed, ISO, and aperture to achieve the look they want.

*Note: We no longer use the small audio box but rather the Zoom H5 audio recorder.